HUD’s
‘Operation FedRent’ Leads to Fraud Conviction for Tinker
Employee
OKLAHOMA
CITY – The Oklahoma County District Court sentenced
Sharmeitra N. Threatt to five years and ordered her to repay
$22,091 to Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency, April 15.
Threatt admitted to committing fraud to obtain benefits from
Section 8, a program intended to provide affordable rental
housing for low to moderate income individuals and families.
Threatt,
a civilian employee at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics
Center at Tinker Air Force Base, was charged in February
2007 and pleaded guilty in April 2008. The sentence was
deferred with court supervision until the restitution is
paid in full. The maximum sentence under the law was 10
years and/or a $5,000 fine.
Federal
investigators discovered the fraud as part of “Operation
FedRent,” an anti-fraud initiative to prosecute federal
employees who misrepresent their income to obtain rental
subsidies.
Operation FedRent was launched in 2006 by the U.S. Dept. of
Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General.
As of last January, according to HUD, the ongoing
initiative produced 34 criminal indictments and recovered
over $540,000 in federal funds.
"Federal
employees who earn enough income to rent their own apartment
or home but conceal their worth to qualify for rental
assistance are taking homes away from those families who
truly need them,” said HUD Inspector General Kenneth
Donohue. “The OIG is committed to serving the American
taxpayer by working diligently to ensure that HUD programs
are not abused by unscrupulous individuals."
Threatt
started receiving Section 8 benefits in 2002 and went to
work for the Air Force in 2004. While she received benefits,
she was required to accurately report her income to the
Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency. From May 2004 until
September 2006, Threatt neglected to report over $64,000 in
income. In 2006, she claimed that she had no income while
her annual salary was more than $35,000.
HUD OIG
and OHFA fraud investigators regularly partner in the
investigation and prosecution of Section 8 fraud across the
state of Oklahoma. HUD OIG and OHFA conducted this
investigation with assistance from the Air Force Materiel
Command Office of Inspector General.
Dennis Shockley, OHFA executive director,
said his agency works diligently to fight fraud.
“The
vast majority of families receiving Section 8 benefits
participate in the program with integrity and honesty,” said
Shockley. “However, we take defrauding the program very
seriously. It simply cannot be tolerated.”
OHFA
works with the HUD OIG and other law enforcement agencies to
investigate all allegations of fraud and not just those
involving federal workers. Shockley said since 2003
investigators have recouped more than $178,000 in 44 fraud
cases for OHFA.
OHFA, Oklahoma’s largest provider of Section
8 vouchers, assists more than 9,000 families each month with
rental subsidies, including those with disabilities or who
have been chronically homeless.
“It’s a
shame that a few individuals believe they can cheat a
program that helps so many families who really need help in
getting ahead in life,” Shockley said.
To
report suspected fraud involving OHFA’s Section 8 program,
call (405) 419-8274.
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Toll Free: (800) 256-1489